Griffith University is gearing up for 2014 to be another year of major achievements.
Sir Samuel Griffith Centre
A key event will be the official opening of the $40 million Sir Samuel Griffith Centre on the Nathan campus. This building, with the coveted 6-star green rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, will be Australia’s first self-powering teaching and research facility.
Vice Chancellor of Griffith University, Professor Ian O’Connor said the Sir Samuel Griffith Centre is testament to Griffith’s commitment to being a world leader in sustainable practice.
“This extraordinary building is the only facility of its type in the world and it gives the absolute physical expression to the university’s ongoing commitment to sustainability,” Professor O’Connor said.
G20 Leaders Summit
When world leaders converge on Brisbane in November for the G20 Leaders Summit, Griffith will be at the forefront; identifying opportunities for Brisbane and the broader Australian community to take part and benefit from being on the world stage.
World-leading academics from Griffith will be coordinating a program of G20 events including a series of public lectures and think tanks, a G20-related debating competition for Brisbane high schools, a student exchange program between Griffith and partner universities in G20 nations, as well as critical research and opinion on G20 policies and decisions made at the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane.
Work will continue into human vaccines for malaria and Strep A at the Institute for Glycomics while at the Eskitis Institute for drug discovery, researchers will comb parts of the Steve Irwin Nature Reserve in Cape York for natural compounds to add to those already being harnessed in the fight against cancer and other serious diseases.
New Griffith Business School building
Griffith’s Gold Coast campus will see the completion of the $38 million new Griffith Business School building. The seven-storey building includes a dialogue cafe and student commons, and for students of banking, finance and financial planning, a simulated trading room will offer a specialised teaching space.
The new facility will be home to academic and administrative staff and higher degree research students from the Departments of Accounting, Finance and Economics, International Business and Asian Studies, Employment Relations and Human Resources, Marketing, and the newly-formed School of Government and International Relations.
Gold Coast campus master plan
And there will be a great many more exciting developments taking place in 2014 on the Gold Coast campus. Vice Chancellor, Professor O’Connor has announced details of a master plan set to transform the 70 hectare site.
The next phase of development for the campus includes: a new aquatic centre, campus heart areas for students, a pedestrian spine down the centre of the campus and extra car parking.
Professor O’Connor said the new 50-metre swimming pool, adjacent to the existing athletics track, would be a wonderful asset for the University and for the city.
Improvements will also be made to arrival areas for the light rail stations which will service the campus from the middle of 2014.In addition to this, a new multi-level car park will help ease congestion in and around the highly-popular campus.
More than 17,000 students currently attend Griffith’s Gold Coast campus. This is expected to rise to more than 25,000 in the next 10 years.